Update: Many buildings on this stretch of St. Louis Avenue have been torn down as of December of 2019, but a surprising number, several of which are in a state of partial collapse, are still standing.

The rest of the week will feature the ongoing destruction of the built environment in neighborhoods such as JeffVanderLou. In particular, St. Louis Avenue, which was once the lifeblood of the area, is slowly slipping away due to illegal demolition of houses.

In the shadow of St. Augustine, buildings fall without anyone seeming to notice. What sort of neighborhood will the church look out over in ten years?

People see this theft occurring, but in an area already so battered by demolition, is it surprising that they don’t see anything out of the ordinary?

This brickyard, which is probably illegal, sits right in the middle of the destruction. I seriously doubt that every brick in that yard was harvested legally.